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Monday, 23 April 2012

Ignorance Is Not Always Bliss!

If you were to ask me “what’s your Religion?”, based on the
religion of my parents my response should be “I am a Rasta” but in reality my response is this, “I believe in God, but I do not go to
church, I believe in God but I do not know my bible and I believe in God but I
do not know the Lord’s Prayer”. Growing up in the UK this was never really
an issue for me until I changed my location and had a religious culture shock.

I am a second generation African
Caribbean born Brit whose parents rebelled against their parents traditional traditions
of Christianity and clasped the root of Rastafari.

When I was a small child and
people use to ask me what my religion was, I used to reply “well my mom and dad are Rasta’s so I that’s what I am” as I got
older I realised that I really did not and still do not have much insight into the
religion that I claimed as a child, but this didn’t and still does not bother
me because I have never felt that because I do not know all there is to know about
the religion that I claimed or the Christian beliefs of my Grandparents that
this lowered or continues to lower my value as a human being.

I personally do not believe that
in order to be a good person, to understand yourself, to know the difference between
right and wrong, to love yourself or to have appreciation and respect for all
things in this world that you have to strictly abide by a religion and its Holy
days and place of worship.

But here I am 25 years of age
taking a break from life in the Caribbean and catching up on some quality
family time which involved an uncle that I’d never met before preach to me like
you would not believe! He actually sat me down and asked me if I had a
boyfriend to which I innocently and thankfully replied “no”, to which he replied “Good!
Keep your virginity! You must remain pure for the Lord!” As the saying goes
‘the Lord truly is my saviour’
because had he asked a question about my virginity rather than make a statement
I feel the rest of that dictation
would have gone VERY differently.

After
telling my cousin all about my uncles talk that may have been suitable for a 12
year old girl not so much for a 25 year old that heavily believes in free will
and pre-marital fornication, she told to me that “God gives everyone the free will to make their own choices” so why
is it that my choice to not know my bible, not to go to church, but to believe
in God as a higher being is treated as though it’s the wrong choice?

I
believe that religion offers great foundation and also great guidance for life,
but from what I know and understand of
various religions, each religion possesses beliefs and values that are already
within me which I call Respect, Love, Appreciation, Acceptance, Understanding,
Faith, Kindness and Forgiveness but above all Moral. Each
Religion when it boils down to it teaches the same concepts but there are many
individuals of each religion who need to practice what they preach.

My
intention by my beliefs and the way I live my life is not to offend anyone nor
is it to please anyone other than myself. If the things that I do and the way
that I do them bother you then tough titty!

Yeah I
swear, I drink, I dance to the ‘devil’s music’, I fornicate without a ring on
my finger and gay people don’t ruin my day! Whoop-dee-flippin’- do!The things I do make me happy, they feel
right and they allow me to be the person that I am. If I strictly abided by a
religion and didn’t do these things then I just wouldn’t be true to myself, further
more I wouldn’t be the person that I am today

I
don’t have issues with people who choose to devote their lives to God, in fact
I think it great that you feel such passion about you religion that you are
able to do this, spirituality is an amazing thing that not many care for or
understand. But I also have to say to those that this applies to, just because
you feel that you have a close relationship with God, or that you do all that your Holy book requires does
not give you the right to judge other people!

Some
of the meanest things I have heard being said about other people’s sexuality,
race, physical appearance, intellect and life circumstances have come out of
the mouths of some of the most religious people that I know! How am I or any
others then able to truly respect you as a representative of your faith if you
are a contradiction to your beliefs?

I feel
at peace with the way that I am, the choices that I make and the God that I
know, I only ask that you live and let live, do right by others and allow others
to make their own choices in life and in faith.

I respect you and your beliefs
so please respect mine.

Love Sara (A little lady that
believes in the free will of one’s choices). xxx